Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Catalysis Letters https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-020-03411-9 Total Oxidation of Methane Over Sulfur Poisoning Resistant Pt/ZrO 2 Catalyst: Efect of Pt 2+ –Pt 4+ and Pt 2+ –Zr 4+ Dipoles at Metal‑Support Interface Rosalía Torralba 1  · Grisel Corro 1  · Fer Rosales 1  · Fortino Bañuelos 1  · Umapada Pal 2  · Octavio Olivares‑Xometl 3  · Emmanuel Guilleminot 4  · José Luis G. Fierro 5 Received: 10 May 2020 / Accepted: 22 July 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract We present a Pt/ZrO 2 catalyst that can operate in the harsh conditions of methane oxidation without being deactivated by SO 2 . XPS analysis of 1%Pt/ZrO 2 catalyst revealed the presence of stable Pt 2+ –Pt 4+ and Pt 2+ –Zr 4+ bifunctional catalytic sites of dipolar nature at the Pt–ZrO 2 interface. These sites increase the probability of CH 4 polarization, increasing the strength of their collision with the catalyst surface, lowering the C–H bond energy and facilitating the abstraction of the frst hydrogen in adsorbed CH 4 . The resistance of the catalyst to deactivation by sulfur poisoning is explained considering the stronger interaction of SO 2 with Pt 2+ –Zr 4+ dipolar sites, presenting a higher dipolar electric potential than Pt 2+ –Pt 4+ , on which CH 4 adsorption and oxidation occur. Graphic Abstract 200 300 400 500 0 20 40 60 80 100 CH 4 conversion / % Temperature/°C CH 4 + O 2 CH 4 + O 2 + SO 2 Keywords Pt/ZrO 2  · Methane oxidation · Natural gas engine · CH 4 emissions · SO 2 * Grisel Corro griselda.corro@correo.buap.mx Extended author information available on the last page of the article